Broken Mirror 5:High Noon on Midnight
by Tribun
Summary: 8 in my saga. When Coldstone seemingly is kidnapped by MacBeth, the clan at once tries to rescue him. But they directly step into the trap Demona and MacBeth have laid out. And only two souls can now rescue them from certain death.


Episode #8

-For the sake of my story I have re-arranged the chonology of the episodes. "The Mirror", "City of Stone" and "High Noon" now take place after "The Price" in this order. Also the events of the latter two episodes will obviously change. This is** extemly important!**  
-This one is rather bloody.  
-I have no clue of the exact English quotes, so I simply translated the quotes from the German translated episodes.

_Previously on Gargoyles:_

_Lexington: "This looks like Coldstone!"_

_Goliath: "My rookery brother? Alive!"_

_----_

_Desdemona: "Coldstone was created from several gargoyles. And now our souls are trapped within him!"_

_----_

_Othello: "You must return into your body my brother, before the vortex destroys everything!"_

_Goliath: "But what about you two?"_

_Desdemona: "We two are finally together... and that is all what counts."_

_**-Legion**_

_  
Demona: "YOU! You won't replace me!"_

_----_

_Luna: "Our plans are of no concern to you." _

_Seline: "But know that we won't tolerate you to interfere." _

_Phoebe: "For this will awaken our hostility to you."_

_Elisa: "Do you threaten us?"_

_Luna: "We feel the touch of the Puck's magic on you, creature. It feels...disgusting" _

_Seline: "The Puck always does what against nature is. Creating perversions." _

_Phoebe: "You should ask yourself, are you now more human or more beast? For you seem to lack control."_

_**-City of Stone, Part II**_

_  
Goliath: "You are never alone... The clan is like family, and we will be always there for you. Even in darkest night..."_

_**-When it comes crashing down**_

_**Broken Mirror**_

**High Noon (on Midnight)**

It had been now nearly two weeks since Demona and MacBeth had disappeared. The clan felt, something would bite them in the tail soon, but they had no idea what. Meanwhile they tried to get their lives back into normal tracks. While Elisa continued to learn how to get her emotions under better control, Brooklyn was trained how to act as a second and Lexington finally was able to start a project he had prepared for some time. Lexington had finally completed his diagnostic and killer program to fianlly flush the virus out of his system, after weeks of programming it.

It had cost him nearly the whole night, but now he finally had results. But not excatly what he had wanted. It had been a challenge for him, but it worked, and he had been able to finally get rid of the annoying virus. Unforteunately it meant only to discover the next problem. With the virus having destroyed all data, Coldstone was next to dead.

"Ok... I have managed to neutralize the virus... so far so good. But every trance of a operating system is gone, meaning that they actually have no means to interact with the real world. And writing a new one would cost me months, it would be very complex!" Lex said while checking every of Coldstone's systems.

"Does that mean they won't come back?" Broadway asked while reading through a new book to become more fluent in reading.

"No, I not said this." Lex said and pulled up another diagram. "There is still activity and energy useage in the main brain. There is no data but still activity, so that has to be them, because I can't think of something else which can cause this. I simply can't detect them, because a soul isn't a computer program."

"I have no doubt that the souls of my brother and sister somehow survived in there. And even if it takes months, I want them to be free again." Goliath said, looking up and down Coldstone, trying to imagine their souls being in there, trapped in a cyber world.

"Do you think...?", Elisa stepped in front of Coldstone, "Do you think that they can hear or see us? I just wish I could know what is going on in his head..." She had never spoken with him, not even had known him, but she wished the best for him.

But while Elisa stood in front of the cyborg, something else went on inside of his head. Time went by different in that world. The virus had only been destroyed for a hour, but in there it was like a whole day had gone by. When the greedy tentacles had disappeared, some of the cyber world had come back, but no kind of exit. Both of them tried to make the best of it.

Othello had just returend with some heather from another floating island, to make her happy. She accepted it happily. "Oh, wonderful. I had thought the season for heather had passed!" But then she became thoughtful when she tried to smell it, and added: "Alas, it has no scent. Like everything here, it is not real."

Othello knew that this fact was still a depressing one for his mate, so he tried to cheer her up a little. "It's true this world has no substance. But it also has nothing that can separate us."

Her smile told him, that this had been the right words."You're right, my love. That alone makes it beautiful."

"As are you." Embracing her, both of them felt that they needed nothing else. But this moment of love was short-lived, when a shadow swooped past them, forcing them to step back. They just saw Iago disappear behind a half-there tower.

"Why can't he just leave us alone!" Desdemona growled, looking angered where Iago had disappeared. Even after being swallowed by the virus, this troublemaker hadn't diappeared. It just had him spat out minus the parts of him that were of the guard program. And now he was again trying to cause trouble.

"Just ignore him." Othello said to calm down his mate. "He can't go between us anymore. He is not longer a danger..."

_...after dawn..._

The clan had called it a night. Lexington had finally told them the result of him going through Coldstone's systems. Without a new operating system, Coldstone would be as useful as a stone. So he promised programming it, starting tomorrow. They all wanted both souls to finally become free of being trapped in there.

Now the sun had just gone up, and the clan had turned to stone outside. Even Elisa had managed to make some kind of pose, but she obiously knew that her clothing ruined the dramatic effect. Not many statues were wearing modern age clothing.

Sleeping they not noticed the two people coming up the stairs... The only one who could was a cat, and he was asleep in the armchair.

"That was too easy! These stupid humans haven't even bothered to ask me who I am. They see a uniform, and don't ask questions. Humans never change!" Demona mocked while looking around. Her police uniform had allowed her to walk with MacBeth in fake cuffs thorugh the precinct without being out of place. It had been really too easy to actually go up to the clock tower. But now she just wished to get out of the uniform as fast as possible.

"I pretend that I haven't heared that." MacBeth muttered while pulling out his remote control to order his hovercraft to come to him. "Bringing this robot out on the balcony will be hard enough to do. I could need... Demona!"

Demona had walked out on the balcony, looking at the statue of Elisa with unvieled hate. She just wanted to grab her gun to blow off parts of the stone, when she felt MacBeth's hand on her shoulder. "What!"

"Don't you even dare to try to shatter her. Looks like you become more and more human, already starting to shatter statues during the day. They are helpless, there's no honor in killing them now!"

Demona glared daggers at him, but controlled herself. "You and your stupid code of honor!"

The hovercraft arrived and MacBeth looked up. "I will get the bag to leave our message behind. Then we will get this thing out here."

_...later, shortly before dusk..._

"Why do we wait, and not activate him right now? And why do you insist of wearing these...rags?" MacBeth asked. As soon as they had returned to his mansion, Demona had changed into her gargoyle clothing, which was far too less for a human woman's modesty. MacBeth took offense at that, but she herself not seemed to care. Now they waited beside Coldstone for the sun to get down.

"These 'rags' as you call them, were for a long time all I possesed. Coldstone wouldn't recognise me now. And just wait a little longer... I have a surprise for you, MacBeth." Just then the sun went down and Demona howled in pain. In a sickening looking transformation she changed into her gargoyle form.

MacBeth had felt the pain also, nearly falling to the ground because of it. "Is it supposed to hurt that much? I thought you said the changeling, Puck, turns you to a human during the day as a gift."

Demona laughed dry. "Puck's gifts always come with a price. My only consolation is that our magical link allows you to suffer as well." Then she picked up a disk and put it into Coldstone, to load up the new operating system and restore all his functions.

In the cyber world, a bright orange vortex came to life at once. Othello and Desdemona shielded their eyes when looking at the strange, bright object. "What is that!" Othello said loud, confused about what happened just now.

"It looks like a portal...but to where?" Desdemona remembered the portal Goliath had used to travel into the Coldstone body. This one looked much like it, but yet different. But they had no time to think about it. Iago simply flew directly into it, vanishing from their sight, laughing evil the whole time. "Should we follow him?"

"No, I'm glad he is gone. As long as we are together, nothting else is important..." Othello said, turning away from the vortex...

_...meanwhile in the clock tower..._

"Coldstone! He is gone!" Lex cried. He had wanted to start his work on him, but now the big robot was gone, his laptop and the cables still there. Well, not exactly. In his place was a videotape together with the message: '_Play this!_'

"Oh great...someone abducts Coldstone and leaves behind his demands. Apart from the question who could have done that, it is really exactly like the cliché." Brooklyn said while rolling his eyes. This usually meant, that he had a bad feeling about something.

Elisa picked up the the tape and put it into her old VCR. All waited to see who it would be. When the picture came, it was shock and surprise.

**"MacBeth?"**

The old scotsman had appeared on the TV, looking as as seeing them. "Well, hello Goliath, I suppose when you and your clan see this here, your clanmate called Coldstone is already gone. If you want him back, come to my mansion, then I will tell you my demands." That was already the entire message and the screen went black.

"Why would he do that, and how did he know where to look?... I always thought he is only interested in getting his hands on Demona. Very mysterious." Goliath had really no idea why MacBeth would kidnap Coldstone. It would have brought him no advantage.

"I don't think he is doing that on his own accord. Remember what these three fey told us, that they have plans with them? That Demona and MacBeth will play a vital role? I think it has started now, but don't ask me why... It is a feeling I have." Elisa suspected so much. Everything they knew about him made it clear that he had no desire to be their enemy, he was only interested in Demona.

"It looks like a trap." Hudson commented. "He wants us to come. Ye have to be blind, not to see that. W' need to be careful if w' want to free yuir brother."

"Nonetheless, we have to get him out of there. I was once in MacBeth's mansion. It was full of traps. Surely he has installed new after it was rebuild. Come...!" Goliath walked up to the door to the outside. He would not let his brother down.

While they took course to MacBeth's mansion, Elisa manouvered towards Goliath "There is something else that concerns me. If MacBeth is fulfilling a part of their plan, where is Demona?"

"To be honest, I have no idea. But I doubt she will be anywhere near MacBeth. They would otherwise start at once to kill each other. Or at least I hope so..." The rest of the way was in silence until they landed in front of the mansion.

"And you said this had burned down? He must have let it rebuild really fast!" Broadway said in awe while looking up the castle-like building. "He lives like a lord."

Hudson was also impressed, but he not let it distract him. He looked over to Broadway "Lad, w' are not here to look at the display oh his wealth. W' are here for a reason." Pulling out his sword, he walked in front of the main door. "An' we should hurry!" One strike was enough to actually destroy the lock and the door was open.

Inside the mansion it was quiet. Careful the walked in. Bronx growled the whole time, as if sensing something but not able to pinpoint from where. Just when they were in the entrance hall, a steel wall fell down with a loud **clanc**,blocking the entrance door!

"A trap!" Brooklyn shouted.

Just then, the other door was blocked also, and the light went out. They only heared laughing coming though a loudspeaker. "You went into our trap far to easy." The voice was female and they knew it. It was Demona.

That made them stop. Demona was here?

"And I thought you would know that my house is full of traps..." And that was MacBeth. "But you are surely tired, and I can't deny my guests a little rest." Then there was a quiet hissing sound in the room.

"GAS! They want to gas us!" Lex cried, trying to find the door to claw through. But he already felt sleepy, the gas making him tired. Finally he was unable to hold up any longer, and all became black.

One by one the clan fell asleep until only Goliath was left. As the strongest he lasted the longest. But he also had his limits, and finally they were reached, and he was knocked out also. He not heared the gas sucked out and the door being opened.

_...hours later..._

"They are waking up, my sensors register raised heart rate and breathing." Iago reported them with Coldstone's sensors. It was really fascinating to use them to analyse a being down to the cell level. "Looks like you can proceed what withever you plan."

"Very good." Demona said while grabbing her laser gun. Finally she could go to business. _Finally some fun. And some payback for last time..._

MacBeth again held her back. "Don't get too over-eager, Demona. Remember what I have said, it needs to be a fair fight each time. Of course if you loose a fight, Coldstone will make short work with your enemy." Growling, Demona put her gun aside to Elisa's gun and Hudson's sword.

Elisa felt weak. Really weak, as if the gas had sucked the strength out of her. Opening her eyes, she saw several things. For one they were somewhere deep in the Central Park, far away from any sort of way. Second, they were all chained to the ground. "...not good..." she moaned while trying to get a clear head.

"About time that you wake up. Demona and MacBeth already had started to run out of patience."

That voice had made Goliath wanted to jump, but the chains held him. "My brother? Why...why are you doing this?"

Coldstone laughed. "So sorry, but I fear you are speaking with the wrong Coldstone...Ha ha! You see my brother doesn't want to take over, and now I'm in command!" Coldstone laughed again, scaring the clan.

"So we now not have one but two psychos at our hands. Great!" Brooklyn said, looking hard in Demona's direction. "Just why the heck do you work together with your arch-enemy?"

"That's nothing of your concern." But to be true, Demona herself had no idea why she did all that. It in no way helped her own agenda.

Goliath had his own ideas. He bet it was these fey that forced them to work together. But why, he had no idea.

"Well, our guests now surely want to know what we intend to do with them. Actually it is very simple. Demona here wants to kill you one at a time. The gas has weakened you, so she won't have too much of a problem. No weapons are allowed. In case you should win, Coldstone here will be the next one you will have to face. And I doubt you will survive that confrontation." MacBeth sounded if he regretted forcing someone into a deathmatch that can only be lost.

"And I want to begin with you." Demona pointed to Elisa. "I have not forgotten the last time we have met! Now it is time for payback."

_...in the cyber world..._

Iago's evil laugh was heared though the vortex, and while Othello seemed to be only half interested, Desdemona was scared over what Iago could have done now. Who he had hurt now.

"Our evil brother is helping our enemies. We have to do something!" Desdemona pleaded to her mate, but he not wanted to her any of it.

"That should be someone else's problem now. We...have deserved our peace." Othello said defaint, not wanting to give in, crossing his arms.

Desdemona was unsure how to proceed now. Her mate could be very stubborn, and she felt, they needed to stop Iago from continuing what he did. But she alone couldn't fight him and take over Coldstone. And her mate was not willing to help.

She felt really helpless.

_...back in the real world..._

"You don't know how long I have waited to do this, human! You may have humiliated me last time, but this time I will be the one with the last laugh." Demona said while Elisa removed her jacket, threw it on the ground.

Elisa still felt the aftereffects of the gas, but was determined to fight for her survival. "You talk too much Demona. Are you here to fight or not?" She also was determined not to again loose control like last time.

"Exactly!" Without warning, Demona lunged at her with her battle scream, slamming her against a big rock, knocking the wind out of her. She followed with a series of fist blows against her upper torso and mid-section before slamming her fists with full force down on Elisa's shoulders, forcing her down to her knees.

"I will enjoy this!" Demona mocked her, before grabbing her head and slamming the back of her skull against the stone several times. "Ha ha ha!" Letting go of her, Elisa fell to the ground, and Demona kicked her hard.

Elisa felt much pain, but also suddenly strength growing in her, washing away the pain and the weakness. "I'm not finished off yet!" She hissed, before jumping to her feet and hitting Demona with her fist dead in the face, throwing her back. A ugly cracking sound went with it, and blood come out of Demona's nose. Obviously Elisa had broken it.

Before Demona was able to recover, the next blow hit her, this time sharp talons slashed over her legs, ripping deep wounds. "Ahhhh!" Demona screamed, totally unprepared for this sudden attack. Elisa finished her attack with a hard fist into Demona's stomach, forcing her down.

"Still enjoying this?" Elisa's eyes were glowing red, but she tried to hold back the urge to get into berserk mode.

"Raaahhhrg!" Demona screamed, eyes blood-red, every sort of intelligence vanishing behind her rage. She used her tail to knock Elisa's feet away, before ramming her sharp knee-spur into Elisa's side, making her scream in pain when in went through her skin. Pulling the spur out, Demona saw a deep, bleeding wound and grinned evil.

Then she wasted no time, and a vertical slash with her Talons ripped open Elisa's shirt, a wound going straight down from just under her throat to where her ribcage ended.

_...cyber world..._

Desdemona was desperate. They now saw what happened in the real world, obviously their brother wanted to mock them. Her pleas became even more desperate. "You can't allow her to kill our new sister! Do you want to give up our way and stop protecting?"

"We are not even gargoyles anymore, only shadows..." Othello said, dismissing this. But he felt bad letting a member of the clan die.

Desdemona wanted to say more, but she suddenly felt as if being parted into three and fell into a sort of sleep. Something other happened instead. "Even shadows have to stay true to their original soul!"

Othello heared three voices. Turning around, he stopped when he saw that his mate had suddenly split into three, each with a different hair color. What was going on here?

_...reality..._

The injuries hurt like hell, but at the same time they only made Elisa's body pumping even more adrenaline through her, activating every bit of power for the fight. With brute force she slammed her Talons into Demona's mid-section, tearing through the skin before pulling out. Blood oozed out of the wounds.

Then she smashed her fists from both sides against Demona's left leg. With a loud **crunsh,** the bone snapped in two. Demona howled in pain, before Elisa did the same to her skull, cracking it, bringing Demona down.

MacBeth and Coldstone watched this with interest. "Interesting, seems that Demona is about to loose, because she can't control her anger. When do you intend to step in?" MacBeth said, while wincing from time to time. But for some reason, her injuries not affacted him as much as usual.

"As soon as Demona dies, I will burn her to a crisp with my laser." Coldstone said, before again laughing like a maniac.

The clan was helpless and had to watch the rather brutal fight, watch both females causing each other horrible injuries. It was sickening and Lexington even had to throw up because the sight was horrible. Brooklyn turned away because there wasn't much left of either Elisa's shirt or bra, making her more or less topless. And Goliath... he hoped that Elisa's anger would not get the better of her again.

Jumping down on Demona's mid-section, Elisa held her claws agains her throat, wanting to slid it open to finally finish Demona. Both of them were now bloody. "Do it!...Come on, kill me! I will recover! Demona croaked, showing no fear.

But Elisa hesitated, the red glow vanishing from her eyes. She pulled her hand away, seeming slightly shocked over what she had nearly done. "No..." she breathed. "I won't do that! I'm not a cold-blooded killer like you! I won't let my anger rule me, like it did rule you!"

"A pity...then you will die!" Suddenly Demona threw Elisa off, against the rock. Before Elisa could react, Demona backhanded her left and right, then hit her across her face, breaking her nose. While blood oozed out, Demona continued to hit Elisa's head left and right, making her start to bleed from her mouth.

_...cyber world..._

"This is truly paradise." "But can bliss outlast the lie you live?" "You know that only you can stop Demona from destroying her." All three Desdemonas said one after another, making Othello feel shame over how he had behaved so far.

He felt as if he would destory their new sister himself by doing nothing, simply watching Demona killing her. "You speak the truth." He had to take resposibility, he had hidden himself from the truth for too long.

Suddenly all three Desdemonas again fused into one. She felt like waking up from a strange dream, as if she had been at three places at the same time. She had no idea what had really happened, but she also not wanted to really know it. They had more pressing matters. "My love, do we take up the cause?"

"Yes. It is the gargoyle way." Together they vanished into the vortex.

_...reality..._

"No! Not now! NOT NOW!" Coldstone suddenly cried, when Iago was ripped away from the controls of the robot. Desdemona fought him, while Othello raced forward, to control the robot.

"What...?" MacBeth wanted to ask, but suddenly looked into the laser cannon. "You traitor!... Hovercraft, emergency ladder!" he whispered the last words into the transmitter he had with him.

Demona was nearly finished, she just wanted to rip out Elisa's heart to finally kill her after beating her up. She had no chance to do so when a laser beam hit her hand, causing ugly burns. In shock she jumped away, the beam came from Coldstone! So Iago was out of control. "Demona! Here!" MacBeth suddenly shouted, hanging on the ladder of his hovercraft. She knew, that night was lost, and jumped on it, cursing. The hovercraft vanished in the night.

Walking over to Elisa, Coldstone used his scanner to see if she had life-threatening injuries. But to his relief, it looked worse than it was. All of it would heal with the sun. Helping her up, she sat on a flat stone, while Coldstone shot the chains holding the clan. Goliath ran to her at once.

"Elisa...?" He was unsure how to approach her after that rather brutal fight.

"Goliath...I need a break, bandages...and a new shirt. Just carry me to somewhere to sleep." She seemed weak, after the strength-boost of the battle had vanished. Picking her up he tried hard not to look on her bare breasts. Only when Hudson put her jacket over her, Goliath dared to look over her. She was bloody, weak and had many bruises. But she had managed not to let her anger take over.

"Brother..." that was Coldstone. "I need to leave. The evil one is still in me, and as long as he isn't defeated, I'm a danger for everyone."

"I understand..." Goliath had witnessed first hand what that meant, and he couldn't blame Coldstone for leaving, to not bring them into danger. "Will we ever see you again?"

"If we mange to defeat him, I will return. Whenever this will be, if ever..." Without another word, Coldstone started his engine, and flew away, leving the clan behind. They decided to return to the clock tower also. Elisa would need much rest after this night.

_...a hour later, mansion MacBeth..._

"Not only came they out alive, but we lost Coldstone also! Damn! All only because I followed you!" Demona cursed, most of her injuries already healed thanks to her immortality.

"To destroy them was not the primary object." MacBeth said, clearly agitated. "The primary object was to capture these tree magical talismans, and then distract the clan with what we have done. Otherwise they would have given no rest until they had recaptured them." MacBeth showed Demona the Grimorum, the Phoenix Gate and the Eye of Odin on the table.

"But why have we stolen them, even known where to find them!" Demona felt as if she had a headarche, really asking herself why she even did all that?

"I wonder... Why we even work together?" MacBeth shoted, his anger at Demona coming though. Demona also growled angered. Both just wanted to hit each other, when they were frozen in motion.

"Just in time my sisters." said Luna, when they appeared in the room. "The spell just disappeared. Being forced to act against their nature had worn down the spell really fast."

All three of them picked up a talisman. "Was it wise to let Coldstone leave? He could have been a really great ally in the upcoming battle." asked Seline.

"Coldstone is of no interest for us. These talismans will be more than enough. The Archmage will then have enough power, to blow our enemies off Avalon." Phoebe said. Then they vanished together with Demona and MacBeth...

...to finally get their revenge.

_**The End**_

_**Next installment:**__**  
Avalon**_


End file.
